Tonight, I was working some other posts and it caused me to think back several years ago. I decided to snatch a few pictures and share.
October 2005 – Bekah (6), Mary (5), Caleb (3), Lydia (2) and Hannah was almost here.
Absolutely beautiful; then and now. How quickly they have become young ladies.
Caleb and Lydia might just have been the cutest partners in crime ever. Cute.ness.
Just a short trip down memory lane….
The structure of our day has a simple flow to it. It did not take me long to realize that it truly pays off to put my little ones first. While the older kiddos finish up various tasks and start on their work, I give undivided attention to my younger ones.
What we do may vary day to day; I am happy to flex depending on what needs to be done and the moods of the little ones. Thursday mornings can sometimes be challenging if we had a late night coming home from prayer. On those days, I may just sit down on the floor with them to play and chat.
Once Sam (3) and Martha (17mths) are somewhat content, Sarah (5) and I cuddle up to do a bit of her schoolwork. Once we are done, she joins Sam and Martha to “keep an eye on them” and be the big sister.
What do my younger ones do while I’m working with the older ones? I try to keep a bit of variety in their activities but there remains a common theme: Legos and Little People. (Duplo and MegaBlocks, too) Since my oldest (14) was a toddler, our home has never been free from Legos and Little People. What is better than tools that provide for open ended play that allows imagination to run free?
The past couple of days have been big Lego and Little People days. Sarah was playing with Duplo blocks and worked diligently for some time. When she was done she asked me to take a picture of her house. She was really proud of her swing. She said, “I thought about what my house needed. I thought a swing would be nice. So I figured out how to make a swing.” Imagination, creative thinking and problem solving all in the midst of play. Those skills will aid her mightily as she gets older.
My goal is for them to be occupied for 30 minutes but most days they are content to play much longer than that with Legos and Little People. Sam often plays with matchbox cards and, well, today, I had superheroes in my living room. But as we headed into lunch….Little People had triumphed and were back in play.
My house was not destroyed. Older children had my attention. The little ones had great adventures and imaginations soared. Managing the needs of older and younger ones is a challenge that can be tackled; it just requires a bit of prep work and maybe a few Little People. *wink*
How do you manage your day with toddlers and preschoolers?
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,” Colossians 3:23
As a mom, I know that one way that I can bless my children and help prepare them for the future is to teach them responsibility. It is also important to help them learn to have joy in that responsibility. From making the bed to cleaning the bathroom, we should be thankful for those provisions and abilities.
At times managing the teaching and distribution of responsibilities causes me some difficulty. My older ones are very well trained. My two oldest can manage this home; from handling laundry to cooking a full meal, they know what to do. Give them a fussy baby? Before you know it, he will be asleep. At this very moment, my son is mowing the grass.
What is my difficulty? Remembering to pass down the responsibility. My older ones handle things so well, it is easy for me to let them keep cooking breakfast or mopping the floor. However, I have a few kiddos in the ranks that are ready for more responsibility. I must be diligent to pass the responsibility on!
No time like the present, right? When I was dealing with a cranky toddler, I felt that we really needed a special snack. I was a second away from calling one of my older two girls to come whip up some cookies. I wouldn’t be needed at all and they don’t mind baking. Thankfully the Lord reminded me that Lydia (9) and Hannah (7) could handle the task of a simple cookie with just a bit of guidance.
They jumped at the chance to work in the kitchen. I gave them a simple peanut butter cookie recipe. Three ingredients. Straight forward and simple. They donned their aprons, read over the recipe to make sure they understood and went to work. Lydia and Hannah took this responsibility seriously and were very diligent to clean as they worked and even let a little one help.
I did provide a bit of assistance in removing the cookies from the oven but other than snapping a picture now and then, they did it all on their own. The neat thing? They are ready for more. Cookies, always; but also responsibility. When it was time for dinner the next night, Lydia was in the kitchen ready and willing to help. We worked together to put together a simple meal. Not only did we get work accomplished but we had a great time of chatting.
Passing down responsibility…..I must be more diligent to this task. This week I am sitting down and updating our responsibility assignments so that I am not ignoring the potential and readiness in my younger ones. Young and little does not mean incapable or unable.
How do you decide who has which responsibilities in your home?